incision

American  

[in-sizh-uhn] / ɪnˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

• incisions
  plural

1. a cut, gash, or notch.

2. the act of incising.

3. a cutting into, especially for surgical purposes.

4. incisiveness; keenness.

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incision British  

/ ɪnˈsɪʒən /

noun

1. the act of incising

2. a cut, gash, or notch

3. a cut made with a knife during a surgical operation

4. any indentation in an incised leaf

5. rare incisiveness

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Usage

What does incision mean? An incision is a cut made into the body during surgery. Traditionally, incisions are made with surgical instruments like scalpels. However, they can also be made with lasers or robotic tools. Sometimes, incision refers to the scar resulting from such a cut. Incision is the noun form of the verb incise, meaning to cut into. The noun form incision is more commonly used. More generally, incision can refer to any cut or gash, but it is primarily used to refer to surgical incisions. Example: The surgeon explained that she would need to make three small incisions in my abdomen in order to remove my appendix.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• incisions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of incision

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin incīsiōn- (stem of incīsiō ). See incise, -ion

Explanation

An incision is a surgical cut. A doctor uses a scalpel to make an incision in a patient's skin. An incision usually refers to a cut that's made during surgery, like an abdominal incision made by a surgeon during a gall bladder operation. A decorative or artistic cut can also be called an incision, such as a cut in carved wood or marble. Incision can also describe the power of sharp observation, like the incision of your friend who can always tell when you're upset, even when you try to hide it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incision incisions

Other options include a “J-incision aortic valve replacement” that he developed involving an incision of about 3 inches in the breastbone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

Guardiola's best teams have been built on control, patterns of play and attacking incision.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2025

Surgeons then make a small incision and the piece is removed.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025

“They’re calling about their incision sites, which are bleeding. Their child has asthma, and the instructions for the medications are not clear.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2025

It took me ten minutes to make it back to bed, and, by then, the incision on my stomach throbbed and I’d broken out in a drenching sweat.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

More surgical options have emerged too, such as smaller incisions in the chest, or a robotic surgery that involves a smaller incision on a person’s side near the armpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Currently there is no regulation over who can provide procedures which do not involve incisions.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

Fish emerge with a hole in the head and incisions near the gills before being placed in an ice slurry for blood drainage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025

In recent years, Zhao's lab has developed adhesives for a variety of medical applications, including double-sided and single-sided tapes that could be used to heal surgical incisions or internal injuries.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024

Dad takes his seat at his spot at the head of the table, for the moment oblivious to Mom’s irritated overtures, and begins making incisions in his ham.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• laceration